Attention Female Bloggers: Help Provide Safe Water to Developing Nations

Water is the new oil. You’ve probably heard some variation of that idea. And in light of the ongoing flooding in Pakistan, the monumental task of cleaning-up the Gulf and a raft of other water crises popping up around the world, the talk is increasingly not if, but when, a water shock (analogous to the “oil shock” of the 1970s) is due to set in. In some places, it’s already arrived.

Small actions matter, and for the past week the blogosphere has been abuzz with the voices of female bloggers who are participating in the P&G GIVE HEALTH Clean Water Blogivation. Open to any US-based female blogger 21 or older, social media influencers and mommy bloggers alike have gotten onboard the Blogivation and are engaging their readers to help provide safe drinking water to people in developing countries.

Here’s how it works: The Blogivation, in partnership with P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW) and Changents, empowers bloggers to donate a day of clean water to a person in need courtesy of P&G for every person who casts a vote for a blogger’s post, and an additional day of water if the reader shares the post with friends via social media. The blogger with the most votes as of August 27, 2010 will win a trip to accompany Dr. Greg Allgood of CSDW and humanitarian photographer Cate Cameron on a clean water expedition in Africa, and a $15,000 donation to a 501(c)3 drinking water charity of her choice will be made in the blogger’s name.

So far, more than 4500 days of clean water are being provided by bloggers and their readers.

Bloggers competing for the top spot include Stephanie Weaver, the founder and Executive Director of A Drink For Tomorrow. Her clean water post, entitled A Picture Can Save a Thousand Lives, says “Almost one billion people lack clean drinking water. As a result, every 20 seconds a child dies of a water-related disease. The moment I learned this changed my life, and hopefully, as time goes on, this moment will end up changing the lives of thousands of others as well.”

Likewise, cause blogger Melissa Jun Rowley who writes for Mashable and Village Voice Media (plus has more than 10,000 followers on Twitter), has jumped in with a post called Miracles in Water: Africa is Calling. Melissa writes, “When I see photographs of children in developing countries, I ponder what my life would have been like had I not been adopted. My being here, here and now, and not roaming the streets of Korea or ending up as a sex trafficking tragedy, is more than a coincidence. It’s a miracle. The longer I live the more certain I am that I was put on this planet to help those who need compassion, care, and a call to action to help them help themselves.”

The Blogivation is helping female bloggers not only write about their passion for the clean water issue, but also enabling them and their readers to be part of the solution. With nine days left in the event, there is still plenty of time for more bloggers to get into the mix and make an impact for safe drinking water.

I'm the author of this post and want to thank all for their comments. The P&G GIVE HEALTH Blogivation wrapped up last Friday with more than 21,000 days of clean drinking water donated, so we're really pleased with the positive impact of the program, and grateful to the bloggers and their readers who participated in providing safe drinking water to people in need.

Several people asked, why did the Blogivation focus on female bloggers? The answer is that the program kicked off in early August at the BlogHer 2010 conference in New York which is probably the largest gathering of female bloggers in the world. Therefore, the Blogivation originated as a part of that event and was initiated to tap the passion of that group of bloggers for the clean water issue. Nothing against men - and plenty of guys worked behind the scenes to maximize the positive impact of this program. Likewise, we were happy to see male and females readers from around the world supporting the bloggers and generating thousands of days of clean water at the same time, so we hope everyone who cares about this issue feels they had the opportunity to contribute to the effort.